ArtistInfo

Charles Owen

tb, b, perc, 1912-1985 US
Musician

American percussionist. Born September 1, 1912 in Kinsman, Ohio. Died April 17, 1985. Charles Owen had a distinguished career spanning 50 years. Raised in Youngstown, Ohio, he attended Rayen High School and studied bassoon, trombone, and percussion. After high school he studied percussion with Malcolm Gerloch of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He joined the U.S. Marine Band in Washington in 1934 and studied timpani with Saul Goodman of the New York Philharmonic, attended Catholic University, and received a Bachelor of Music Degree. Owen was Marimba Soloist with the United States Marine Band and timpanist with the U.S. Marine Band and Orchestra under the direction of Colonel Taylor Branson and Col. William Santelmann. From 1934-1954 Owen was frequently featured as marimba soloist in concerts, on radio broadcasts, and nightly on the annual nine-week tours. He performed as marimba soloist on every annual tour the band made during his years as a member, performing in every state of the union. Owen was often in the dual role of performer and arranger. He transcribed and arranged an extensive solo library for xylophone and marimba. He published one of his solos, Chopsticks, in 1941. After 20 years with the Marine Band, Owen became Principal Percussionist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He performed on their subscription concerts in Philadelphia, New York City, and Baltimore for 18 years, under the leadership of Eugene Ormandy and many of the world's greatest conductors. He recorded the Creston "Concertino for Marimba" with the Philadelphia Orchestra on their album First Chair Encores, which then was the only solo work for marimba recorded by a major symphony orchestra. He also recorded a great deal of symphonic repertoire on Columbia and RCA labels. His recordings also include work with the Philadelphia Brass Ensemble and free-lance engagements for Capitol Records. He performed also with the Philadelphia Grand Opera, Lyric Opera, and Philadelphia Percussion Ensemble. Owen was equally at home in the college atmosphere as in the professional field. While a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Owen founded the percussion department of Temple University (PA) and also taught at the Ambler Music Festival (PA), the Philadelphia Music Academy, and the Saratoga School of Orchestra Studies (New York). Owen frequently conducted percussion demos and workshops for college music departments and was in demand as a clinician on all aspects of percussion playing. A master craftsman, he often made his own sticks and mallets. As head of the Temple University percussion department, he conducted the percussion ensemble, which performed at the Academy of Music with the Philadelphia Orchestra (in a children’s concert), at Town Hall in New York, at U of PA museum concerts, and at numerous concerts at Temple University and at schools in the city. He held frequent percussion workshop recitals, gave students a constant flow of solo literature, and formed a percussion maintenance class. In 1972, after 18 years with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Owen accepted the position as Professor of Percussion in the School of Music at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. At University of Michigan his percussion ensembles put out records, one in 1984 called Re-Percussion and another with U.M Percussion and Tuba Ensembles. In the summers he performed with the Casals Festivals in Puerto Rico and was head of the percussion department at Aspen Music Festival in Colorado for many years. He also taught at the Grand Teton Orchestral Seminar. An active member of the Percussive Arts Society, Charles Owen served on its Board of Directors; was the founder and President of the Michigan PAS Chapter; and was the editor for years of the column "Symphonic Percussion" in Percussive Notes. Owen was elected into the PAS Hall of Fame in 1981.

Instruments

• Trombone
• Bass
• Percussion

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